Study On The Application Of Different Waste Substrates In Cucumber Seedling Cultivation

With the continuous promotion of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization strategies,the vegetable industry is gradually developing towards a scientific and intensive direction.Efficient and rapid cultivation of high-quality seedlings is the key to achieving the industrialization of the vegetable industry,and the seedling substrate is the foundation for the growth of vegetable seedlings.Peat and vermiculite are lightweight and have good aeration and water retention properties,making them widely considered ideal seedling substrates.However,their resources are limited and transportation costs are high.This study used decomposed pig manure,pond soil,cottonseed lint,decomposed cow manure and spent mushroom substrate in the Jianghan Plain and Northeast China as substitute materials for peat and vermiculite to reduce the amount of peat and vermiculite in the matrix and achieve the resource utilization of regional waste.This study takes cucumber as the research object,and comprehensively explores the physical and chemical properties and seedling raising effects of different ratios of substrates.It selects suitable substrate formulas for the growth of cucumber seedlings,providing technical support for the efficient utilization of waste such as pig manure,pond soil,cottonseed lint,cow manure,and spent mushroom bran.The main research findings are as follows:1.Different raw materials have different effects on the physical and chemical properties of the substrate.Decomposed pig manure has light weight,high porosity,and heavy pond soil.By adjusting the proportion of the two additives,the bulk density and porosity of the substrate can be adjusted,the soluble salt concentration of cottonseed lint is high,and the EC of the substrate can be adjusted.These three raw materials have relatively small water holding porosity,and the complete use of these raw materials will lead to poor water holding performance of the substrate;The soluble salt concentration of decomposed cow manure and spent mushroom bran is high,and their alkalinity is strong.The addition ratio directly affects the substrate EC and p H.2.Using decomposed pig manure,pond soil,and cottonseed lint as raw materials to partially replace peat vermiculite(peat: vermiculite 2:1,the same below),the physical and chemical properties of each treatment substrate are suitable,which can effectively ensure the normal growth of cucumber seedlings.From the perspective of seedling cultivation effect,the seedling emergence rate of each treatment is above 90%,basically meeting the requirements of the national vegetable seedling substrate standard.Among them,the cucumber seedling emergence rate is the highest with a substrate ratio of peat vermiculite:decomposed pig manure: pond soil: cottonseed lint =50:20:20:10,reaching 98.67%.The uniformity is the highest,and the growth indicators are significantly improved.The aboveground dry weight increases by 92.16% compared to the peat group,23.84%compared to the conventional group,and the underground dry weight is 2.24 times that of the peat group 2.12 times that of the conventional group,the cultivated cucumber seedlings have higher root systems vitality and chlorophyll content,soluble protein and soluble sugar content in seedlings have been significantly increased,while nitrate nitrogen content in leaves has significantly decreased,which is conducive to the normal physiological activities of the leaves.The physical properties were stable,and the p H and conductivity were in the right range before and after the seedlings were raised.On the whole,it is more effective to use peat vermiculite: decomposed pig manure: pond soil: cotton seed lint = 50:20:20:10when using decomposed pig manure,pond soil and cottonseed lint as materials instead of peat,vermiculite for cucumber seedlings.3.Mix peat vermiculite,decomposed cow manure,and spent mushroom substrate in a certain volume ratio,analyze the physicochemical properties of each mixture and its seedling cultivation effect,and find that: The unit weight,total porosity,water holding porosity,p H,and EC of each treatment substrate are all within the ideal range of vegetable seedling substrate,with suitable physical and chemical properties that can provide good support and ventilation water holding conditions for plants.The seedling emergence rate of each treatment is above 90%,basically meeting the requirements of national vegetable seedling substrate standards.From the perspective of seedling cultivation effect,the cucumber seedlings cultivated with the substrate of peat vermiculite: decomposed cow manure: spent mushroom substrate =70:10:20 have the highest emergence rate,reaching98.67%,with the highest uniformity and significant improvement in growth indicators.The aboveground dry weight is the largest,reaching 0.19 g,and the underground dry weight is the largest,reaching 0.02 g.The cucumber seedlings cultivated with this substrate have higher root activity,chlorophyll,soluble protein,and soluble sugar content,which can effectively reduce the nitrate nitrogen content in the plant body.The physical properties of the substrates were more stable,with a small increase in the substrate capacity,total porosity and water-holding porosity before and after the seedlings were raised.On the whole,when using well-rotted cow dung and mushroom bran as materials instead of grass charcoal and vermiculite,it is more effective to use peat vermiculite: decomposed cow manure: spent mushroom substrate = 70:10:20 ratio for cucumber seedlings.In summary,although peat: vermiculite 2:1 is an excellent substrate for seedlings,which mixed substrate with the addition of decomposed pig manure,pond soil,cotton seed lint,decomposed cow manure and spent mushroom substrate can achieve the same seedling effect or even have more advantages,which can realise the resourceful use of regional waste and effectively lower costs,where peat vermiculite: decomposed pig manure: pond soil:cotton seed lint = 50:20:20:10 and peat vermiculite: decomposed cow manure: spent mushroom substrate = 70:10:20 are most suitable for use as seedling substrates for cucumber.